Why Sleep Matters

23 March 2022 | Annabel Hudson

March 18th was World Sleep Day 2022. World Sleep Day is all about celebrating sleep, while also acting as a platform to bring awareness to various sleep related issues. You may be wondering why we, here at Pogo Studio, are discussing this, but we recognise just how important sleep is for our both mental and physical health, and we want to use our platform to promote this.

Time and time again, many of us have been told that sleep isn’t hugely important, with sayings such as ‘I can sleep when I’m dead’ being heard all too often and often used to mask over-working. Sleep and medical professionals have also frequently come up against the societal beliefs that sleep is not important enough to be classed as a priority within personal health and wellbeing. However, this ideology is slowly evolving, and people are beginning to value their sleep. Sleep is in fact an essential function, which allows our body and mind to rest and recharge, leaving us refreshed and alert when we wake up. A lack of correct or proper sleep can alter brain function impacting our abilities to concentrate, think clearly and process memories.

For World Sleep Day, the World Sleep Society is using their knowledge and expertise to share statistics about the importance of sleep on our cognitive, physical and mental abilities. Let’s look at a few:

Just 1 night of poor-quality sleep negatively impacts out attention span, memory recall and learning ability
46% of individuals with frequent sleep disturbances report missing work or events, or making errors at work
Young athletes have a 70% higher risk of injury when they get less than eight hours of sleep
Routine sleep without interruption means lower rates of diabetes and obesity, chronic illnesses and high blood pressure

Sleep is hugely important to us as humans. But how much sleep should we get?

7-9 hours of sleep per night is the optimal amount for anyone over 18 years!

A few top tips from the Pogo Studio team on how to get enough ZZZ’s!

“ I sleep with an eye mask on as I do a lot of camping in the summer and this stops me being woken up by the sun ” Zoë

“It’s all about decent ear plugs as I’m a really light sleeper” Jack

“I like to listen to music and have a bit of chill time before I go to bed” Darren

“Practising mindfulness really helps my sleep, also I like to get to bed early so that I can make the most of the mornings” Samantha

If you’re struggling to get a decent nights sleep, we’ve found a few charities who can offer you advice and support in improving your sleep: